1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to emergency fire equipment for use in a residence. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for an in-residence fire equipment cabinet having an arcuate-shaped plastic door and at least a pair of recessed floor cavities to support and enclose a fire extinguisher and a flashlight and, in an alternative embodiment, a lower cabinet section for storing additional emergency equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fire equipment cabinets of the prior art are typically designed for commercial applications and are either surface mounted on a vertical wall or stanchion or recess mounted within a vertical wall. The fire equipment cabinets of the prior art are primarily designed to house only a single fire extinguisher and thus are actually fire extinguisher cabinets.
Many of the fire extinguisher cabinets of the prior art, whether they be wall mounted or surface mounted, include an enclosure having a transparent front surface or window. The window assists a user to determine if a fire extinguisher is actually located within the extinguisher cabinet. The transparent front surface or window may be mounted within a door that provides access to the extinguisher cabinet. The door may include a mechanism which enables the door to be opened and closed by rotating about a hinge, or by sliding or revolving within a bounded pathway. In the alternative, the transparent front surface or window is not mounted in a door which can be opened and closed. Thus, the window is fixed in position.
Many of the fire extinguisher cabinets of the prior art which include a door utilized to access the fire extinguisher also include a locking device on the door. Thus, fire extinguisher cabinets of the prior art which include locked doors or a transparent front surface or window fixed in position are designed to restrict access to the fire extinguisher. This is the case since the door must be unlocked or the window must be removed (as by shattering) to enable access to the fire extinguisher. In any case, access to the fire extinguisher is delayed and in many cases can be dangerous because of the presence of broken glass.
In many of the prior art extinguisher cabinets, access to the fire extinguisher is delayed or made inconvenient to discourage theft of or vandalism to the fire extinguisher. This is a characteristic of fire extinguisher cabinets designed for commercial or public use applications. Other fire extinguisher cabinets have been known which utilize a non-locking attachment means for sealing the door to the cabinet enclosure. Thus, the door can be opened and the fire extinguisher removed for unauthorized use. In other extinguisher cabinets known in the prior art, once the door is removed it cannot be replaced.
A deficiency shared by fire extinguisher cabinets of the prior art is that they have limited storage capacity. The extinguisher cabinet is limited to a volume which accommodates only the fire extinguisher and can not be utilized for storage of other emergency equipment. Further, the fire extinguisher cabinets of the prior art tend to be fashioned from metal and glass and thus are heavy, bulky, clumsy and thus are difficult to install. Additionally, special reinforcement of the vertical wall upon which the fire extinguisher cabinets of the prior art are mounted may be required to support the weight of the cabinet since the cabinets are not always sized to match the standard width dimension between construction studs.
Finally, fire extinguisher cabinets of the prior art tend to exhibit an appearance which is not attractive. The commercial type fire extinguisher cabinet typically comprises a box-shaped enclosure including a transparent front surface or window and/or a locked door. This construction is not aesthetically pleasing. Thus, the designs of the prior art fire extinguisher cabinets are neither mechanically suitable nor aesthetically acceptable for use in a residential environment.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an improvement in fire equipment cabinets which are utilized for storing fire equipment useful during an emergency in a residence where the cabinet exhibits improved accessibility, a large storage capacity, lightweight construction for simplifying installation, an aesthetic design for in-residence usage, and is simple to locate during an emergency.